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card would not start until years later when the couples were away in Florida. It all began in 1993. Jim and Anita Witty bought an anniversary card and flowers for their friends, Joe and Donna Dickson, while vacationing with them in their neighbouring condos in Florida. After the Dicksons and Wittys returned home to Canada, two other couples — Rita and Bryan Hilker and Warren and Lynda Pollard - came to Florida to celebrate their retirements. The Hilk- ers stayed at the Witty’s condo, while the Pollards stayed at the Dickson's condo. A few days later, another couple, Gale and Allan Mossman, joined the crew in Florida. One day, while chatting at one of the condos, Gale mentioned it was her and Allan’s wedding anniver- sary and that perhaps the six of them could go out to dinner to celebrate. “We wanted to give them a gift or a card but all the stores were closed,” explains Rita. As the friends anxiously pon- dered how they could find a suitable gift for the couple, Lynda remembered spotting an anniversary card and flowers in the Dickson condo that the Witty’s had given the Dickson’s for their anniversary. I told Lynda to go and get the card and we'd just stroke out their names and put ours in, Rita remembers. “So we gave the card to Gale and Allan without the flow- ers,” she says, laughing at how silly and conniving the whole situation was. Little did they know the swift deci- sion to give a “used card” to their friends was the One of the inside pages of the card shows some of the messages written over the years. However, things would change when one of the couples, start of something grand. | said to Lynda, Heather and Barrie, immigrated back to their home in th Tren in August eek “Go get the card, New Zealand after 17 years in Ajax. e rs and Pollards We With the couple moving so far away, the anniversary returned the card to the we'll just stroke card now held a more meaningful purpose. It would couple who unknowingly — gut their names keep the group of friends in contact despite living so far started the whole thing, apart. and put ours in.” ... Rita Hilker the Wiity’s. “They were surprised to find out what had happened to their TTT original buying of an anniversary card,” says Rita. “And so a tradition was born. In 1996, Lynda and Warren and Gale and Allan, headed to New Zealand to visit Heather and Barrie. Along for the ride was that faithful anniversary card, tucked away safely in their suitcase. “We didn’t want to be the ones who killed it,” says Now it was up to the Wittys to keep the ritual going. “So one year later we sent the card back to Gale and Al- Jan,” explains Anita. “We were cheap though, we didn’t send champagne,” chimes Jim. In the early 90’s, all the couples were living in Ajax and circulating the card proved to be a simple endeavour. Lynda. “We wanted to keep it going,” adds her husband, Warren. Before they left for home, they gave the card to Heather and Barrie with instructions for the couple to send it back to Rita and Bryan for their anniversary. In 2004, Gale and Allan moved from Ontario to Turn to page 26 There is n0 HST on intemational travel! 11 Nig hts in the Southern Geyser oard the Celebrity Mille Fey 9 Ports of Call and 2 — at an Stay at the Hilton Doubletree in. San Juan Puerto Rico 905-985-5005 + www.lovetravel.ca FOCUS - SEPTEMBER 2010 27